“Politics should be kind of boring, you know?” Our healthcare system is dysfunctional. How do we fix it? Well, it’s kind of a boring discussion, but we need a health care system that guarantees health care to all people.”
This was Bernie Sanders remarks on Meet The Press last Sunday in response to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump last Shabbos. As he called for lowering the political temperature and less divisive rhetoric he explained that politics should be boring. We shouldn’t allow them to heat us up so much to the point that we are demonizing others, talk about politicians from the other side of the isle that we are with such disdain and contempt. Because to the extent that we do, the situation can get so heated that we can wind up with the horrifying Spector of political violence as we did last week. And so while I never thought I would say this, I think Bernie Sanders is right. Politics should be boring.
But the reality is that politics is not boring. All you had to do was watch the Republican National Convention this week, and Im sure the upcoming Democratic National Convention will be the same way. Millions and millions of dollars are spent making the venue, in this case a stadium, feel like you’re on reality TV. The music, the lights, the fanfare. The actors and actresses. For gosh sake, even Hulk Hogan was speaking at this weeks RNC and ripped off his shirt harkening back to his iconic wrestling career. Millions and millions, maybe billions of dollars are spent to ensure that you don’t find politics boring.
But its deeper than that. The issues that politics address speak to so many of the values that we hold dear. It speaks to family and freedom, prosperity and life itself. These are deeply held values. So even if you can get past the money spent trying to get you to experience politics as you would a great movie or TV show- how can we say politics should be boring if they address some of the most important and deeply held issues that face us as individuals and as a nation?
There is a very fascinating perspective offered by the Ishbizter Rebbe in his Sefer the Mei HaShiloach in this week’s parsha. The Midrash explains that for every blessing that Bilaam bestowed on the Jewish People, in fact, that represented the curse he had intended to do, except G-d transformed it into a blessing. Meaning, from the blessings that were given we can deduce the curse that Bilaam had intended. So part of the third blessing, which includes the famous Ma Tovu prayer are the following words, which means: “water shall overflow when it is drawn and he will plant with an abundance of water.” Now many commentaries explain that this is a metaphor for Torah. That Torah, which is compared to life-giving waters will flow forth freely from the Jewish People. But asks the Ishbitzer, what can we infer from this blessing that the curse would have been? What was Bilaam aiming for? Specifically as it relates to the water metaphor? Explains the Ishbitzer that “Mayim Rabim” Or abundant waters is a reference to a specific tactic employed by the world to distract the Jewish People from learning Torah and connecting to truly meaningful things. Says the IShbitzer, that the curse was that the Jewish people would be “Tarud” which means mentally encumbered, mentally distracted, mentally sidetracked by the goings on in the non-Jewish world that we would be pulled away for the true source of meaning.
Its funny and kind of sad. I forgot if it was regarding the presidential debate or the RNC or just the election in general and a family member turned to me an said- you like watching this so much because it feels like the Super Bowl! And its true. Politics in 2024 feels like sports. A presidential debate is not about arriving at truth or who has the policies that are most effective, but its more like boxing match with two people in the aren fighting over who can land the biggest zinger on their opponent! And the real truth is that this is both the danger of politics and sports- that they are placebos. They are meaning placebos. Instead of seeking our meaning in life from HaShem and from connecting to him through his Torah, as the Ishbitzer explains, we begin to identify with our team or our party and we find meaning in life through politics. We become so wholly identified with politics, that we allow ourselves to feel connected to these artificial things rather than the true source of meaning.
I want to share a story that I recently heard about Rabbi Benjamin Blech. He’s truly one of the great Jewish thinkers of our generation. A True genus in Torah and philosophy. And he was the child of immigrants. And growing ups in NY he loved the Brooklyn Dodgers. Being a Jew, he felt that since baseball was the be all and end all for him, so he idolized the players, especially the really good one. But he felt that as a Jew he wanted to have a Jewish baseball player on the Brooklyn Dodgers that he could idolize. Someone that would be personal meannuugfull And there was a fellow who joined the team named Goody Rosen who who was a Jewish guy. He wasn’t the best of players he had trouble batting his weight but he played and Rabbi Blech said as a kid this was his idol. A Jewish baseball player. Wow! And he would often go to the games, his parents couldn’t afford tickets but he would hang out in the parking lot and try to catch a ball. And as years went on he grew and matured, he ended up becoming a community rabbi and there was one day that he was officiating at a funeral of a prominent member of the community. And afte the funeral several ppl came over to him and were grateful for the remarks. But one person was a total stranger who came over to him and he said the following thing: He said how much ehe admired my faith and how I was able to communicate my thoughts with such spiritual impact. And he said I envy your ability to see the spirituality. I really wish I had what you had. Your values, Your abilities to be able to uplift so many ppl. After the fellow walked away someone form his community came over to him and said- Do you know who that is? That fellow used to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers! His name was Goody Rosen. And Rabbi Blech said that he ha this realization at this moment. Wow! As a kid my values were how he is an idol to me because baseball was the source of all my meaning in life. BUt now he himself is telling me how much he envies our values and how much eh wishes he had what we had.
My friends, we think that flashy things will bring us meaning in life. Whether its sports or politics, vacations or fancy cars- but the truth is that Bernie Sanders was right. Politics should be boring. Which really means, we mustn’t get so wrapped up in these things that are essentially placebos for meaning. We mustn’t substitute true meaning for the Super Bowl feeling of a presidential debate or a Super Bowl itself. After all, this is what Bilaam attempted to cure us with. He attempted to say you Jews- I now you have this superpower call Torah and Judaism, connection to G-d but I curse you that you will be overwhelmed, distracted by, sidetracked with the goings on of the societies which you find yourself in. You will drown in the sea of distractions and become totally immersed in them. BUt G-d truned that into a blessing. He said if you Jews focus on Torah you will have the ability to withstand those temptations. You will have the ability to trade true eternal connection to G-d to the fleeting, material narishkeit of the day. As a society we have allowed ourselves to become completely consumed and distracted by polictis and the like. This is how a 20 year old kid can come to think he can solve his problems by trying to assassinate a president. He had nothing else in his life. This was his solution. As Jews must reject that single-mindedness. We must always continue to look to Torah as the source of meaning, excitement and joy. For once Bernie Sanders got it right. Politics should be boring. Because Torah and Judaism- must the true source of our energy.